Another trick to use, start one bucket with only 1lb of seed first, two days later do the rest of your buckets. Keep an eye on the first bucket looking for seeds to germinate. This will give you a 1-2 window knowing when to spread the seed just before germination.
For what it’s worth, with my seed I never saw white poofs or the white strings of early roots - rather, after 5 days saw the faintest green shoots start to show up and thus immediately put it into the lawn. Fingers crossed how it works :).
Fail. Well at least no gain. I did 2 grass types one bag of Fine fescue 2 of Rye. Did full 24 hour soak. Then dunk for minutes every 24 hours after. Dunk was with hot tap water. After about 8 days sprouts from section of the Rye. Nice. Dryed seed out over an afternoon, then manually spread. 8 days later very starting to see germination. This is exactly the same as non pre germination. I have watered as per normal. What have I done wrong. BTW still doing the fine fescue. 15 days later no sign of germination in bucket. Also anyone else experienced terrible odour ?
@@craigros5 So interesting!!! Thanks for sharing. I lost patience after 5+ days and saw small green shoots and presumed that it was starting? Put it in the ground 4 days ago and nothing yet. Will be interesting to see a wk from now but northing explosive candidly
Items Needed: • Grass seed (e.g., 365 SS Kentucky bluegrass) • 5-gallon buckets • Paint strainers (5-gallon size) • Drill and drill bits • Water source • Optional: organic fertilizer like Milorganite Detailed Steps: 1. Preparation: • Use the two-bucket system: • Drill holes in the bottom of half of your buckets. • Place paint strainers in the buckets with holes. • The strainer ensures the seeds stay wet but not submerged in water. 2. Pre-Germination Process: • Fill the bucket with seeds, aiming for around 6-8 lbs per bucket to ensure all seeds get adequately wet. • Submerge the bucket with seeds in water for 24 hours. • After 24 hours, lift the bucket out to let it drain. • Every 24 hours, resubmerge the seeds just enough to wet them completely, then drain again. • Continue this process for 7-9 days, depending on the seed type and ambient temperature. 3. Spreading Seeds: • If seeds have started to sprout, avoid using a drop spreader directly as wet seeds will clump. • Mix the wet seeds with an organic fertilizer like Milorganite (2-3 lbs of Milorganite per pound of seed) to act as a carrier for even spreading. • Alternatively, spread the wet seeds on a driveway or tarp to dry slightly before spreading them using a drop spreader. 4. Lawn Preparation: • Scalp the lawn to remove dead grass and ensure good seed-to-soil contact. For Bermuda grass, scalp it down to about a quarter-inch. • If overseeding cool-season grass, use a dethatcher to remove dead material. 5. Post-Seeding Care: • Water the newly seeded lawn four times a day to keep it consistently moist, reducing watering frequency gradually as the grass starts to establish. • Avoid heavy rains immediately after seeding to prevent seed washout. 6. Additional Tips: • Keep some seed in reserve to fill in any bare spots after initial germination. • Monitor the seed closely for signs of germination and adjust care accordingly. By following these steps, you can achieve rapid and effective grass growth with a high germination rate, saving time and resources.
You didnt mention changing the water between soak cycles. If you dont seeds emit a chemical that kills all other seeds around it. seeds have to be rinsed and soaked with new fresh water, preferably non chlorinated city water each dip. City slicker. We can spot you a mile away.
Some more tips for you. Use very warm water to soak your seeds for 24 hours and then also when you dip your seeds everyday also use very warm water. I have a porch that is 70 degrees even temperature unlike outside where it will fluctuate. I did the pre germination process inside my porch. i did a 4 pound bag, used a steel weight to hold the bag down. I used cheese cloth instead of a paint strainer bag ( cheaper but also a bit more work as you have tie it up in a knot due to no draw string ) After the 24 hour initial soak i place 2 small wood blocks 6 inches high in a empty bucket. after soaking the seeds and for the after the water dip every 24 hours after that i placed the seeds in the bucket with the wood blocks ( or any other object that will keep the seeds off of the bucket bottom). This allows the water to drain and keep the bottom layer of seeds as dry as the rest of the bag. Oh and i changed my water every 6 to 8 hours on the initial 24 hour soak. That water turns such a nasty brown color that every time i changed water the water was very very brown. My seeds germinated in 4 days. I then mixed the seeds with peat moss as the peat moss is very dry and will soak up the water from the seeds. Peat moss is very cheap and the brown color of the peat moss easily contrasts with my soil to easily see how the seed is spreading. i spread the seed by hand.
Thats a great idea. Is there any risk with peet moss? I.e. introducing weeds or the like? Also, is there a certain brand or type? I would also like to add something that preferably holds some moisture more than just dirt itself but not overwhelming difficult to add to the area. im just doing a pretty small 50 ft by 6 ft area that had mulch and a weed preventive mesh/tarp like material so the spot is completely bare which is nice. Was loaded with worms and other creatures so i feel like thats probably good. No weeds or nothing yet so I wanna work fast. I already started the seeds with this process, on day 1 right now. The 24 hr soak. Any help would be appreciated. Also, Im only doing a small amount a 3 lb bag of seed
I have cheesecloth bags for this. They have strings to tie them. Lots of people laugh at doing this, however its worked really well for me. Great video, thanks for talking about the milo method, the drying it out method, and what happens when you go to long. The seed is a lot hardier then some people think.
My Dad says that a smart man learns from other peoples mistakes as well as his own. A genius teaches other people his mistakes. You sir, definitely wear the genius hat. Thank you from an Australian lawn nut
He doesnt talk fast, you just process information slow. Edit: Im not saying your are stupid or slow, I am just saying maybe you pick up fast on for example lingo you know like website design and this is out of your wheel house for example. If what he was talking about was in your wheel house you wouldnt think he is talking fast. Languages within languages. I dont know ur profession anymore than you do mine.
what we do here in the uk is soak our ryegrass we used barenbrug rpr on a rpr lawn we soak for 12hrs drain for 12hrs and repeat for 5 days than dry seed out and than put in a spreader the seed and we get1 to 2 day germinate we have a video of it its called 2 day challenge germinate
if you want to germinate your seed even faster . soak your seed in liquid seaweed , a 0-0-4 or a 0-0-1 would be good. the liquid seaweed will act as a RGS. follow the the label for seed germination dilution ratio. the 0-0-4 i use needs only half an ounces per 5 gallons. but i have used a 0-0-1 and that needed 5 ounces for 5 gallons. just thought ill share what i do to get great results fast.
I just started my grass seed bucket project lol. Love this stuff. It's a very small front yard and needs some soil added in areas that I yanked crab grass out of and is now under control but needs back filling, so I figure I will just add the germinated grass seed to the large bag of lawn soil in my wheel barrow & mix it up to hopefully spread the wet seed out better then just dump/toss/spread the soil where needed and rake it in as level as possible. Update - it all germinated in 4 days lol, warm garage for sure helped. Mixed the 3 lb seeds with a 56L bag of lawn soil and it spread out all evenly in the soil mixture just excellent, shoveled it onto my lawn to fix lower areas & repair areas raked in great. Now to keep it moist.....
I used an air stone like the one you put in a fish tank , then put it on the bottom of the bucket then put in the seed that in the cheesecloth then plug in the pump and let it run over night. It will sprout quick.
The trick I used is pre-germinating and prepping the lawn like you do. I then mix the seed with peat moss. I use a peat moss spreader to put it down then roll the lawn with a weighted lawn roller.
Love his teaching style. Letting people know the mistakes to avoid is an awesome way to help others avoid the pit falls. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with others.😀
@@JJ-yk1ks No, don't really know what that is. Though I have a TON of worm castings on my lawn. It's probably too moist, and I tend to cut it very short (1/2"), so castings have become the biggest problem I have at the moment.
This is the best explanation I have seen that is actually correct! Give an update each week how it's coming along if you can. I'm liking the more vlog/explanation style videos you've done on the 2nd half of this year
Whats far easier, is leaving these seeds in a tied paint strainer, submerged under water, then change water every 12 hrs. Times average seed germination time by .333 to get the suspected time for bucket pregerminating. Youre welca.
Thanks so much for making this video, usually I try to speed up videos that are this long, I found your commentary invaluable. It really helped me to wrap my mind around how to do it correctly. Nothing worse that spending all of that money and time to have nothing grow!
This worked like magic. @mattmattia tip to do a test 1 lb bucket ahead of the remaining seed was super helpful. Doing exactly what the video said to do works. I had a tall fescue mix of 25 pounds. 5 pounds per bucket, water and drain exactly how he said. I had those white fuzzies coming out after 3 days from start of soaking the seed. I also live in Nebraska where we had warm weather that definitely helped the germination process. Do what he says in video and you will be golden. My seed was also a year old and still germinated just fine.
As a cannabis grower here in SW Michigan AND a grower of microgreens, lentil and other bean sprouts...ALWAYS soak the seed to insure a bountiful and consistent harvest, funny, I thought everyone knew this...hehehe
I find the easiest way to dry it is on a trampoline. I have several old trampolines that I got for free that I use to dry grass clippings that I store for winter feeding of my geese, chickens, pigs, and rabbits. Once dry, it is easy to take a board or squeegee to pull it all into piles at the edge of the trampoline, and dump into containers to go spread. I also do this with seed for my wildlife food plots and for winter rye (grain) on small plots. Mix the seed with either topsoil or fine sifted compost and put it in a roll around compost spreader.
@@n8yt - You don't dry it completely, you dry it just enough that it doesn't clump up when you grab a handful - it should fall apart when you open your hand, but still feel damp.
@@paulsylvester1394 - I have about a dozen trampolines! I pick them up for free on craigslist or marketplace specifically for Chicken pens, drying racks for grass (hay), seed, and some plants (like garlic).
I use the 2 bucket system but I still tie the bags closed. I follow the Milorganite methods which calls for keeping the seed in water changing the water every 12 hours . Kbg Abbott 10 days. TTTF about 4 TO 5 days. Dry out seed on a tarp, then mix with Milorganite to spread. Your system of wetting the seed for a few minutes then letting it dry for 24 hours is interesting... ill try it in the spring
So if I am understanding the watering schedule is it: 1: fill bucket full of water let seed soak for 24 hrs 2: drain bucket let seed dry for 24 hrs 3: fill bucket with water for about 10 minutes and then drain and let it dry for 24 hrs 4: repeat step 3 for the remainder of the pregermination Sorry was a little confused at the end
@@EndPoliticalCorruption Ok so if i left my clump of seed in my paint strainer in a dark cool room with a sink, would that do? Also is my understanding of the order correct?
I watched the other pregerm video and seeded bermuda in early August and it went perfect. I used zip ties tho. Mixed the wet seed with half Milo and half humichar. I did it exactly the way you explained. Thank you!!!! I got away with seeding so late because of El Nino year. It is just now down to 70s-80s and will last 2 more weeks!!!!! Forecast shows no freezing nights thru January in Louisiana, no way I beleive that lol I cant belieive you tried to spread wet seed🤣🤣🤣 Homework first then seed lol
@@EY-fb4ov It was Lawnifi Bermuda seeds from Sod Solutions but I killed it because was too similar to common. I JUST seeded Monaco Bermuda 4 days ago. I got it from Johnston seed co, waiting for germination
@@EY-fb4ov Monaco from Johnston seed co, scheduled to be ready to seed sunday, thunderstorm coming monday. Pre germinating surely didnt save me from a washout lol Im doomed unless I tarp it
Maybe you mentioned it in the video and I missed it, but did you store these buckets outside in the sun? Or in a dark area of your garage or something similar?
I love this method. I have used it ever since I saw you do it the first time, 💥just to fill some bear spots.. Believe it or not I didn't oversee this fall, and I just threw down seed with no Pete moss or covering, and it worked out nice, but I live In the Pacific Northwest South of Seattle with nice gentle rain and warm weather in between.⛳️❤️ Love this video & all the "TOOLS" !
Hi Rich. I had replied with this question but I didn't get a reply. I was wondering if you could share your experience with me. Did you pre germinate by following the method in this video by only submerging the seed for the first 24 hours? I am asking because every other lawn channel that discusses this method suggests keeping the seed germinated the entire time (and changing out the water every 12 hours). Thanks!
Hey , thanks for the video. I am building a backyard mini soccer field for my 8 year old son and live in South Florida Broward area. Last year I leveled my lawn and ended up going with a Barenburg Turf Blue Kentucky Bluegrass which I believe was a big mistake. I now have all weeds and may need to redo the process all over again but was contemplating wether or not to re-seed or sod. Also don’t know which would be best for Soccer since my son loves to play every other day. Can you help give me some advice on 1. if I should seed or sod ? 2. Which grass type would you recommend for S. Florida Soccer? 3. Which brand seed or where do you recommend I get sod? 4. Should I kill off all old grass and level again? 5. Last what’s the optimal time to seed or sod in S. Florida. Love your videos and anything will help. By the way I have 4000 sq feet to work with.
It WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!! I pushed the limits pre germinating monaco. 8 days in the bucket. I had lots of germination going on the top layer so I spread the seeds yesterday. I just looked with the flashlight down low and there are grass blades showing EVERYWHERE lol I will always wait until I see a good but of germination before spreading the seeds. Wow, 1 day but It was 95 F today lol
Monaco Bermuda? I tried getting some of that but it was sold out so I got Rio which was said to be the same from the supplier who sold both. I seeded entire front lawn which is sloped and it all washed away a few days later. We got over 7" of rain in a few days. Major bummer. About to pre germinate some and also bought a tackifier to spray down onto it and hope for the best.
@@amypolzella8349 found it at, do my own. It was the only place I could find it, I just pre germiated 10 more lbs. Ordered Monaco less than 2 weeks ago, its on the ground now, last sec seeding lol
So what’s the recommendation on where you keep the buckets during this process? The amount of sun will impact how fast the process works, but too much sun might be bad. Would it be better to have a controlled environment and just keep them in the garage between watering? That’s like a $100 worth of buckets😮 Thanks
The number of buckets is stupid expensive. Especially considering half of them can never be used for anything else b/c of the holes. And per Milorganite website, seed needs to be in 65-72 degrees and a dark environment, not light. Also, the reason his bags don’t germinate properly when he left them is the seed releases toxins into the water. If you dont don’t change the water out every 12 hours, the toxins stop the germination process. So if you use his “re-wet” rather than submerge suggestion, make sure to move the water fully through the center of the seed mass
In the spring I’m gonna do this. But my method of spreading will be. Mixing top soil , worm castings and possibly a little sand with pre germinated seed. And spreading with a compost spreader. Wish me luck 😅
This video is awesome, I'm going to try this. I want to spread clover (you heard me) and grass seed in my yard... I live in Florida and ferral chickens roam WILD here, if I throw seed out they're out there eating most of it before it can sprout, I think this will give it a good chance to survive. I hope anyways... I still think you could benefit greatly from a nice drip irrigation or some kind of timed in lawn system. I think for a couple hundred bucks you could make your lawn autonomous... but also I recognize you love the effort/reward benefits of doing it manually and keeping an eye on it.
we overseed clover in the NE and get carpets of bees feeding on them when we let them go to flower and tons of deer sneak in at night! Oh, and it's good for the grass too!
Thanks for sharing your experience, helps out a lot. Especially for someone who’s new to lawn care.
Месяц назад
I'd like to see someone do a controlled test for if submerging is necessary or even the fastest and best way. The reason I wonder: I submerged 8 ounces of Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra - changing the water every 12 hours. After 3 weeks I still had no signs of germination. I stopped submerging the bag and instead just kept it wet and within 18 hours I FINALLY got germination. That was really no faster than just properly prepping, applying, and spreading the traditional way. So I started another 8 ounce batch but instead of submerging I just rinsed the seed every 12 hours. In just 3 DAYS I got germination. That suggests to me the seed getting air as well as water - like what it needs and gets outside via the traditional method - was the difference between 3 weeks of waiting versus 3 days. If this is true it was way faster and easier and even more water efficient. I am going to run another batch with buckets that are white/translucent to try to add some "greenhouse" type light to the process and see how that goes.
25 дней назад
. . . I just finished another bag of seed and got germination somewhere between 4 and 5 days. Just like my last two batches I did NOT submerge. All I did was thoroughly rinse the bag every 12 hours and kept it in two-bucket setup like shown in the vid. I am sticking with this method and the theory that the seed only needs to remain wet and well rinsed, and non-submersion means more air and faster results. I'd love to hear from anyone else who tries this with a different seed. It sure saves hours of time and gallons/buckets of water. You could even use smaller, less expensive buckets.
Worm tea comes from taking a cup of worm castings in a paint screening and put in to a 5 gallon bucket. Just mixing with a stick gives worm extract. To make tea add 1/4 cup molasses and pump air in for 24 to 48 hours This build’s biomes in the liquid. Use in 2 days or need to reactivate. Bunches on UTube
Holy smokes - Just pre-germinate the seed in a heap of topsoil with some starter fert. Keep a really close eye on it and as soon as ya' see it popping just fan it all out with a shovel (a large square shovel).......Just fan, fan, fan, (you may need to fan rake it) until you have an evenly distributed seeded, Scotts Starter fertilized and pre-germinated topdressing. Keep it well moistened and viola within 10 ? days you'll be giving the job its' first cut.
Spreading the sprouted-seed probably damaged the first root (known as the 'radicle' which is the primary embryonic root) and the damage to that is usually irreversible.
@The Lawn Tools Thanks for making such a detailed well explained video, I'm trying this right now. My paint strainer bag just started to germinate at the bottom where it was wetter, now I'm going to spread it out and dry it out and then hand spread as this is my first test using this technique.
just put the entire 50 lb bag of tall fescue I bought into my garbage can and filled it up with water. dont' have time for all that paint strainer crap and expenses. lol. will drain it out tomorrow and put a pipe through the top so it can hang down and drain and wet it a couple times a day, wish me luck.
Thanks for sharing this tip! Curious if you think using peat moss as a carrier/binder, instead of Milorganite, would work well??? Lastly, have you tried this with Bermuda grass seed too?
I probably made the mistake with Black Beauty Dense Shade seeds. It has been 21 days, didn't see anything. One thing I probably did wrong was to submerge the seeds and replace the water every 12 hours for 21 days, which I watched from other videos. Bought another 25lb bag today and started a new trial. This time I will submerge for 24 hours and then just wet the seed every 12 hours. Will see how it goes. Don't know what to do with the old seeds that have been submerged for 21 days... I will keep them wet for a few more days and see what happens, but do not feel good about these seeds though
You've answered so many of my questions even if I don't do the pre wetting method! Doesn't lightly covering the seed by raking help keep the seed in place from rain-watering too heavily?
Maybe do 3 tiny test batches, n•1 3 days before prepping full batch N •2 2 days before prepping full batch N•3 1 day before full batch. So you have 3 days before to know when your full batch is ready
7 days ago I spread compost on my lawn in the Asheville NC area and overseeded it with Turf type tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass seeds. I’ve been watering it frequently and lightly to keep the seeds moist. Now I’m noticing 3 to 5 inch white circles on the compost. I think it is actinomycetes from the compost. Is this something I should be concerned about hurting my lawn? Should I treat it with fungicide(s)? If so which fungicides? I've just changed my watering to less run time and also the last run time of the day has been moved to earlier in the day so it won't be so wet all night. Thank you in advance for your advice.
He has messed something up every time lol still works tho, submerged or drip dry, change water every 12 or 24 hrs, doesnt really matter, both work, keep the water changed, keep seeds wet
This is probably a stupid question but are you keeping your buckets outside so the seed is getting sunlight? I've failed for two years trying to get a shady area seeded in my backyard and have decided to try this method. Appreciate the feedback!
Hey the Video was great. I am following your steps on day 5. in your video you mention getting the ground prepared. I had some work in my back yard so it was all tore up. I have rough graded and had pulverized dirt brought in. the dirt does not seem the best. I also have a 8 ft drag to level things off a bit. i feel I almost need to plow the dirt then rough grade then pulverized dirt and then level. any suggestion on breaking up the ground a bit more. its about an acre of area. located in Norther Illinois - so has clay in it - should I put some sand down would that help or am i just making a mess? let me know your thoughts!!
This was an awesome video!! I do have a question. If you let the seed dry on a tarp it won't damage/kill the germinated seed? It just seems like may injure the seed since they are fragile at that point.
Doh! Made the same mistake as you and changed the water but kept it soaking and it rotted had to re-watch and see what i did wrong hopefully I'll get it right this time :)
I'm no lawnphile, but I _do_ have an enormous yard, so here's a game-changing tip that I've learned. If you have a (reasonably) small bare-spot to fill, it is much, much easier & faster to harvest/transfer sod than it is to propagate seed. Of course, first, till the soil in the spot to prep. But for a harvest, look no farther than your driveway edge; it is very common to have grass growing over it, and you can easily shovel 3-4" strips of sod from against it. The benefit is a cleaner, tapered edge that will more easily absorb water and debris. Don't worry about using the resource up, either. It'll be back! But watering your grass 3-4 times a day? No thanks. Aside from germination, I haven't watered grass ever. My yard (in sw PA) is lush and verdant and varied, filled with Clover, Violet, and Dandelion, and surrounded by ferns. But if it weren't, and if I were still stuck in suburbia, I'd save the resources in order to help get me out of there faster. Green is pleasant, but uniformity is an unnatural obsession. "The mower, perchance, cuts some plants which I have never seen in flower." -Thoreau July, 1854
Looking for opinions, timing is kicking me in the A$$ at the moment. Got seeds germinating and it just rained 2" for the first time in what seems like forever. Do I just throw it out and keep it wet? It's a new lawn area. Input greatly appreciated!
Question on temperature: I'm three days in and the temps are mid-40s to mid-60s. I've been keeping my seed in an unheated garage at night. Question: Should I bring the seed into my heated house at night to expedite the process? Is leaving in an unheated garage that gets down to the mid-high 40s too cold to get the process going?
I love this video and want to try this. Thank you for sharing Lessons Learned, that's always helpful. Can you recommending a grass seed type and brand that would work with this method? I think you mentioned the grass seed should not be coated but almost everything available at the big department store is coated with something. My lawn is mostly sunny with some shaded spots, so I am thinking Kentucky Bluegrass or a Sun & Shade mix.
I think the advice he gave was to spread the seed on a tarp to let it dry enough to be spreadable, or to use Milorganite. Because I’m curious, I looked up what that is. Admittedly, I suppose most or all fertilizer is basically poop, but I find it funny that this host and some other RUclipsrs promote this Milorgnaite stuff. Why is that funny? Because it’s basically just the dried up and pelletized poop from the people of Milwaukee. 😂 From Wikipedia: Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by treating sewage sludge by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.[1] The term is a portmanteau of the term Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. The sewer system of the District collects municipal wastewater from the Milwaukee metropolitan area. After settling, wastewater is treated with microbes to break down organic matter at the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The byproduct sewage sludge is produced. This is heat-dried with hot air in the range of 900-1,200 °F (482-649 °C), which heats the sewage sludge to at least 176 °F (80 °C) to kill pathogens. The material is then pelletized and marketed throughout the United States under the name Milorganite. The result is recycling of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the waste-stream as fertilizer. The treated wastewater is discharged to Lake Michigan.
Great video as always. Sorry if this question is attached to the wrong video, but do you have council on watering? I have a swordsman and keep my lawn ~3/4 inch. In the summer, I've tried the whole 3ish times a wk deep soak to promote root growth, but invariablely I get large dead/dorment spots as it's just not enough. How do you/golf courses do it? Do I do 3 heavy soaks, then a maintenance water daily for 5 min just to keep it from fully drying out/dorment/dying? Appreciate it!
I feel your pain, I did a project on my front lawn, long story short, of course it poured after a week of babying it every day. I scrambled, in the rain, placed a couple of bags of potting soil and some more seed, and it turned out great. 👍 I’m going to use your method in the back yard however with the dog, I’ll be cutting the lawn in thirds, blocking 1/3 off at a time. I have to start now so when the cold weather hits all should be good. 👍 Question, after all that, I believe that I can go ahead and overseed in the very late fall, almost snowing, so it comes up in the spring? 🤔 Any replies are appreciated 👍
Pretty sure if you just soak the seed in a 70/30 water/potassium solution for 36 hours you're good. You don't need to do the whole soak/remove/soak again process. And 36 hours is the max amount needed to hit the maximum germination rate for your seed. Any more than that and you're just wasting time. At least that's what I've found.
Question my turf is looking really good and I want to do this but I do have spots in my lawn with crabgrass. I want to do this but I wont be able to put down preemergent. Any ideas?
🥗🌱🌱🌱Hippie Mamas have been doing this for their alfalfa sprouts since the 60's which is probably where Spin got the idea ;-) USE WARM WATER!!!! Take the buckets in from the cool nights---- for salad spouts, clear jar+seed+warm sunny window sill and rinsing seed twice daily with warm water= active live food from a mini greenhouse!! If you have little Moonflower or Morning Glory seeds to start, snip the hull with toe nail clippers to get the warm water into the seed faster
Can you/someone go over again how long to soak after the initial soaking. Is it 24 in to soak and 24 out to drain, or drain each day and then in to soak for 24 hours, or in to soak a few minutes each day and out to drain for 24 hours - and repeat the process each day.
Another trick to use, start one bucket with only 1lb of seed first, two days later do the rest of your buckets. Keep an eye on the first bucket looking for seeds to germinate. This will give you a 1-2 window knowing when to spread the seed just before germination.
So clever. Thanks!!
Now this is a good tip!
For what it’s worth, with my seed I never saw white poofs or the white strings of early roots - rather, after 5 days saw the faintest green shoots start to show up and thus immediately put it into the lawn. Fingers crossed how it works :).
Fail. Well at least no gain.
I did 2 grass types one bag of Fine fescue 2 of Rye.
Did full 24 hour soak. Then dunk for minutes every 24 hours after. Dunk was with hot tap water.
After about 8 days sprouts from section of the Rye. Nice.
Dryed seed out over an afternoon, then manually spread.
8 days later very starting to see germination. This is exactly the same as non pre germination. I have watered as per normal. What have I done wrong.
BTW still doing the fine fescue. 15 days later no sign of germination in bucket.
Also anyone else experienced terrible odour ?
@@craigros5 So interesting!!! Thanks for sharing. I lost patience after 5+ days and saw small green shoots and presumed that it was starting? Put it in the ground 4 days ago and nothing yet. Will be interesting to see a wk from now but northing explosive candidly
Items Needed:
• Grass seed (e.g., 365 SS Kentucky bluegrass)
• 5-gallon buckets
• Paint strainers (5-gallon size)
• Drill and drill bits
• Water source
• Optional: organic fertilizer like Milorganite
Detailed Steps:
1. Preparation:
• Use the two-bucket system:
• Drill holes in the bottom of half of your buckets.
• Place paint strainers in the buckets with holes.
• The strainer ensures the seeds stay wet but not submerged in water.
2. Pre-Germination Process:
• Fill the bucket with seeds, aiming for around 6-8 lbs per bucket to ensure all seeds get adequately wet.
• Submerge the bucket with seeds in water for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, lift the bucket out to let it drain.
• Every 24 hours, resubmerge the seeds just enough to wet them completely, then drain again.
• Continue this process for 7-9 days, depending on the seed type and ambient temperature.
3. Spreading Seeds:
• If seeds have started to sprout, avoid using a drop spreader directly as wet seeds will clump.
• Mix the wet seeds with an organic fertilizer like Milorganite (2-3 lbs of Milorganite per pound of seed) to act as a carrier for even spreading.
• Alternatively, spread the wet seeds on a driveway or tarp to dry slightly before spreading them using a drop spreader.
4. Lawn Preparation:
• Scalp the lawn to remove dead grass and ensure good seed-to-soil contact. For Bermuda grass, scalp it down to about a quarter-inch.
• If overseeding cool-season grass, use a dethatcher to remove dead material.
5. Post-Seeding Care:
• Water the newly seeded lawn four times a day to keep it consistently moist, reducing watering frequency gradually as the grass starts to establish.
• Avoid heavy rains immediately after seeding to prevent seed washout.
6. Additional Tips:
• Keep some seed in reserve to fill in any bare spots after initial germination.
• Monitor the seed closely for signs of germination and adjust care accordingly.
By following these steps, you can achieve rapid and effective grass growth with a high germination rate, saving time and resources.
Thanks bro. Faster than sitting through a 100 bucket video.
You didnt mention changing the water between soak cycles. If you dont seeds emit a chemical that kills all other seeds around it. seeds have to be rinsed and soaked with new fresh water, preferably non chlorinated city water each dip. City slicker. We can spot you a mile away.
Some more tips for you. Use very warm water to soak your seeds for 24 hours and then also when you dip your seeds everyday also use very warm water. I have a porch that is 70 degrees even temperature unlike outside where it will fluctuate. I did the pre germination process inside my porch. i did a 4 pound bag, used a steel weight to hold the bag down. I used cheese cloth instead of a paint strainer bag ( cheaper but also a bit more work as you have tie it up in a knot due to no draw string ) After the 24 hour initial soak i place 2 small wood blocks 6 inches high in a empty bucket. after soaking the seeds and for the after the water dip every 24 hours after that i placed the seeds in the bucket with the wood blocks ( or any other object that will keep the seeds off of the bucket bottom). This allows the water to drain and keep the bottom layer of seeds as dry as the rest of the bag. Oh and i changed my water every 6 to 8 hours on the initial 24 hour soak. That water turns such a nasty brown color that every time i changed water the water was very very brown. My seeds germinated in 4 days. I then mixed the seeds with peat moss as the peat moss is very dry and will soak up the water from the seeds. Peat moss is very cheap and the brown color of the peat moss easily contrasts with my soil to easily see how the seed is spreading. i spread the seed by hand.
Thats a great idea.
Is there any risk with peet moss? I.e. introducing weeds or the like?
Also, is there a certain brand or type? I would also like to add something that preferably holds some moisture more than just dirt itself but not overwhelming difficult to add to the area.
im just doing a pretty small 50 ft by 6 ft area that had mulch and a weed preventive mesh/tarp like material so the spot is completely bare which is nice.
Was loaded with worms and other creatures so i feel like thats probably good.
No weeds or nothing yet so I wanna work fast.
I already started the seeds with this process, on day 1 right now. The 24 hr soak.
Any help would be appreciated.
Also, Im only doing a small amount a 3 lb bag of seed
Please let's me know what kind the grass seed you use Sir. Very appreciate it.
Drying out the seed isnt something that you want to fo though isnt it?
I have cheesecloth bags for this. They have strings to tie them. Lots of people laugh at doing this, however its worked really well for me. Great video, thanks for talking about the milo method, the drying it out method, and what happens when you go to long. The seed is a lot hardier then some people think.
My Dad says that a smart man learns from other peoples mistakes as well as his own. A genius teaches other people his mistakes. You sir, definitely wear the genius hat. Thank you from an Australian lawn nut
This how we grow rice seeds in my country before transplanting in the field.😊we call it direct seeding..
I've watched a TON of lawn maintenance videos and have no clue how I never came across this tip before. Thanks for sharing!
He is thorough and he just talks fast. All his info is helpful.
You can slow down video. Go to settings and go one setting below normal speed.
I'm watching at 2x speed, no problem.
He doesnt talk fast, you just process information slow. Edit: Im not saying your are stupid or slow, I am just saying maybe you pick up fast on for example lingo you know like website design and this is out of your wheel house for example. If what he was talking about was in your wheel house you wouldnt think he is talking fast. Languages within languages. I dont know ur profession anymore than you do mine.
what we do here in the uk is soak our ryegrass we used barenbrug rpr on a rpr lawn we soak for 12hrs drain for 12hrs and repeat for 5 days than dry seed out and than put in a spreader the seed and we get1 to 2 day germinate we have a video of it its called 2 day challenge germinate
if you want to germinate your seed even faster . soak your seed in liquid seaweed , a 0-0-4 or a 0-0-1 would be good. the liquid seaweed will act as a RGS. follow the the label for seed germination dilution ratio. the 0-0-4 i use needs only half an ounces per 5 gallons. but i have used a 0-0-1 and that needed 5 ounces for 5 gallons. just thought ill share what i do to get great results fast.
I just started my grass seed bucket project lol. Love this stuff. It's a very small front yard and needs some soil added in areas that I yanked crab grass out of and is now under control but needs back filling, so I figure I will just add the germinated grass seed to the large bag of lawn soil in my wheel barrow & mix it up to hopefully spread the wet seed out better then just dump/toss/spread the soil where needed and rake it in as level as possible.
Update - it all germinated in 4 days lol, warm garage for sure helped. Mixed the 3 lb seeds with a 56L bag of lawn soil and it spread out all evenly in the soil mixture just excellent, shoveled it onto my lawn to fix lower areas & repair areas raked in great. Now to keep it moist.....
How is it doing now?
I used an air stone like the one you put in a fish tank , then put it on the bottom of the bucket then put in the seed that in the cheesecloth then plug in the pump and let it run over night. It will sprout quick.
Is that because it’s adding new oxygen & carbon dioxide to the water?
@@butchgreene It helps keep the water from getting any type of fungus and the oxygen and speeds up gemmation. I do change the water often.
The trick I used is pre-germinating and prepping the lawn like you do. I then mix the seed with peat moss. I use a peat moss spreader to put it down then roll the lawn with a weighted lawn roller.
This was my thoughts as well. Gotta try this
How much seed to peat moss?
Love his teaching style. Letting people know the mistakes to avoid is an awesome way to help others avoid the pit falls. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with others.😀
This is a LOT better solution than my idea, throwing out the seed and saying, in my best Dolph Lundgren voice, "If it dies, it dies." LOL!! :D
Great video with lots of great SPECIFIC info, but... really wanted to see it get spread. This will be the way I go next year for sure.
Have you considered using worm castings tea
@@JJ-yk1ks No, don't really know what that is. Though I have a TON of worm castings on my lawn. It's probably too moist, and I tend to cut it very short (1/2"), so castings have become the biggest problem I have at the moment.
Hi how to get this seed? Thank you 🙏
Worm tea is fresh worm castings added to chlorine free water
Other type of seeds are started with worm tea
This is the best explanation I have seen that is actually correct! Give an update each week how it's coming along if you can. I'm liking the more vlog/explanation style videos you've done on the 2nd half of this year
I second this!
Haha I third it!!
It would have been really cool to see the complete process from germination, to spreading.
I just dont understand how he didnt have a carrier ready lol mind blowing
Whats far easier, is leaving these seeds in a tied paint strainer, submerged under water, then change water every 12 hrs. Times average seed germination time by .333 to get the suspected time for bucket pregerminating. Youre welca.
Thanks so much for making this video, usually I try to speed up videos that are this long, I found your commentary invaluable. It really helped me to wrap my mind around how to do it correctly. Nothing worse that spending all of that money and time to have nothing grow!
This worked like magic.
@mattmattia tip to do a test 1 lb bucket ahead of the remaining seed was super helpful.
Doing exactly what the video said to do works. I had a tall fescue mix of 25 pounds. 5 pounds per bucket, water and drain exactly how he said. I had those white fuzzies coming out after 3 days from start of soaking the seed. I also live in Nebraska where we had warm weather that definitely helped the germination process.
Do what he says in video and you will be golden. My seed was also a year old and still germinated just fine.
As a cannabis grower here in SW Michigan AND a grower of microgreens, lentil and other bean sprouts...ALWAYS soak the seed to insure a bountiful and consistent harvest, funny, I thought everyone knew this...hehehe
Worked like a dream! I seeded on a very steep slope and now have grass!!!!
Dry sand is usually used instead of Milorganite. It's a standard method.
You’re right! Now matter what our plans are, you gotta be able to adjust and adapt when the wrench gets thrown in the plans!!!
I find the easiest way to dry it is on a trampoline. I have several old trampolines that I got for free that I use to dry grass clippings that I store for winter feeding of my geese, chickens, pigs, and rabbits. Once dry, it is easy to take a board or squeegee to pull it all into piles at the edge of the trampoline, and dump into containers to go spread. I also do this with seed for my wildlife food plots and for winter rye (grain) on small plots.
Mix the seed with either topsoil or fine sifted compost and put it in a roll around compost spreader.
If you dry it out like that before spreading, doesn't that kill the seeds?
@@n8yt - You don't dry it completely, you dry it just enough that it doesn't clump up when you grab a handful - it should fall apart when you open your hand, but still feel damp.
@@Rattlerjake1 ok thanks for the explanation
Do you mean a tarpaulin or tarp? Who has multiple trampolines?
@@paulsylvester1394 - I have about a dozen trampolines! I pick them up for free on craigslist or marketplace specifically for Chicken pens, drying racks for grass (hay), seed, and some plants (like garlic).
I use the 2 bucket system but I still tie the bags closed. I follow the Milorganite methods which calls for keeping the seed in water changing the water every 12 hours . Kbg Abbott 10 days. TTTF about 4 TO 5 days. Dry out seed on a tarp, then mix with Milorganite to spread. Your system of wetting the seed for a few minutes then letting it dry for 24 hours is interesting... ill try it in the spring
I love this video because of all the mistakes you talk about. Those learning opportunities for others. Great video.
So if I am understanding the watering schedule is it:
1: fill bucket full of water let seed soak for 24 hrs
2: drain bucket let seed dry for 24 hrs
3: fill bucket with water for about 10 minutes and then drain and let it dry for 24 hrs
4: repeat step 3 for the remainder of the pregermination
Sorry was a little confused at the end
I don't think the seeds should "dry". They should be drained of excess water but allowed to stay moist until the next dunking.
A little confused, I think we all are.
A little confused, I think we all are.
Yeah maybe no dry, but just sit in the paint strainer in the sink for 24 hrs? @@EndPoliticalCorruption
@@EndPoliticalCorruption Ok so if i left my clump of seed in my paint strainer in a dark cool room with a sink, would that do? Also is my understanding of the order correct?
I watched the other pregerm video and seeded bermuda in early August and it went perfect. I used zip ties tho. Mixed the wet seed with half Milo and half humichar. I did it exactly the way you explained. Thank you!!!! I got away with seeding so late because of El Nino year. It is just now down to 70s-80s and will last 2 more weeks!!!!! Forecast shows no freezing nights thru January in Louisiana, no way I beleive that lol I cant belieive you tried to spread wet seed🤣🤣🤣 Homework first then seed lol
Where did you get the Bermuda grass seeds from ? All I can find online is combination of seeds,fertilizer, and soil
@@EY-fb4ov It was Lawnifi Bermuda seeds from Sod Solutions but I killed it because was too similar to common. I JUST seeded Monaco Bermuda 4 days ago. I got it from Johnston seed co, waiting for germination
@@EY-fb4ov Monaco from Johnston seed co, scheduled to be ready to seed sunday, thunderstorm coming monday. Pre germinating surely didnt save me from a washout lol Im doomed unless I tarp it
What is a good way to spread this once it starts to germinate? Will a typical 3 point barrel media spread destroy it or will it work great?
Maybe you mentioned it in the video and I missed it, but did you store these buckets outside in the sun? Or in a dark area of your garage or something similar?
I love this method. I have used it ever since I saw you do it the first time, 💥just to fill some bear spots..
Believe it or not I didn't oversee this fall, and I just threw down seed with no Pete moss or covering, and it worked out nice, but I live In the Pacific Northwest South of Seattle with nice gentle rain and warm weather in between.⛳️❤️
Love this video & all the "TOOLS" !
Hi Rich. I had replied with this question but I didn't get a reply. I was wondering if you could share your experience with me. Did you pre germinate by following the method in this video by only submerging the seed for the first 24 hours? I am asking because every other lawn channel that discusses this method suggests keeping the seed germinated the entire time (and changing out the water every 12 hours). Thanks!
Hey , thanks for the video. I am building a backyard mini soccer field for my 8 year old son and live in South Florida Broward area. Last year I leveled my lawn and ended up going with a Barenburg Turf Blue Kentucky Bluegrass which I believe was a big mistake. I now have all weeds and may need to redo the process all over again but was contemplating wether or not to re-seed or sod. Also don’t know which would be best for Soccer since my son loves to play every other day. Can you help give me some advice on
1. if I should seed or sod ?
2. Which grass type would you recommend for S. Florida Soccer?
3. Which brand seed or where do you recommend I get sod?
4. Should I kill off all old grass and level again?
5. Last what’s the optimal time to seed or sod in S. Florida.
Love your videos and anything will help.
By the way I have 4000 sq feet to work with.
Came for the seeding, stayed for the jazz hands 😁
It WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!! I pushed the limits pre germinating monaco. 8 days in the bucket. I had lots of germination going on the top layer so I spread the seeds yesterday. I just looked with the flashlight down low and there are grass blades showing EVERYWHERE lol I will always wait until I see a good but of germination before spreading the seeds. Wow, 1 day but It was 95 F today lol
Monaco Bermuda? I tried getting some of that but it was sold out so I got Rio which was said to be the same from the supplier who sold both. I seeded entire front lawn which is sloped and it all washed away a few days later. We got over 7" of rain in a few days. Major bummer. About to pre germinate some and also bought a tackifier to spray down onto it and hope for the best.
@@amypolzella8349 found it at, do my own. It was the only place I could find it, I just pre germiated 10 more lbs. Ordered Monaco less than 2 weeks ago, its on the ground now, last sec seeding lol
So what’s the recommendation on where you keep the buckets during this process? The amount of sun will impact how fast the process works, but too much sun might be bad. Would it be better to have a controlled environment and just keep them in the garage between watering?
That’s like a $100 worth of buckets😮
Thanks
The number of buckets is stupid expensive. Especially considering half of them can never be used for anything else b/c of the holes. And per Milorganite website, seed needs to be in 65-72 degrees and a dark environment, not light. Also, the reason his bags don’t germinate properly when he left them is the seed releases toxins into the water. If you dont don’t change the water out every 12 hours, the toxins stop the germination process. So if you use his “re-wet” rather than submerge suggestion, make sure to move the water fully through the center of the seed mass
Great ideas! I had no idea that you pre-germinate the seeds. I need to try this!
In the spring I’m gonna do this. But my method of spreading will be. Mixing top soil , worm castings and possibly a little sand with pre germinated seed. And spreading with a compost spreader. Wish me luck 😅
How did it go?
Spring is weeks away in N.H.
How did it go with the compost spreader?
@@videodesarcasto9710 Still waiting on soil temperature to hit 55 degrees, next week is my target.
This video is awesome, I'm going to try this. I want to spread clover (you heard me) and grass seed in my yard... I live in Florida and ferral chickens roam WILD here, if I throw seed out they're out there eating most of it before it can sprout, I think this will give it a good chance to survive. I hope anyways...
I still think you could benefit greatly from a nice drip irrigation or some kind of timed in lawn system. I think for a couple hundred bucks you could make your lawn autonomous... but also I recognize you love the effort/reward benefits of doing it manually and keeping an eye on it.
we overseed clover in the NE and get carpets of bees feeding on them when we let them go to flower and tons of deer sneak in at night! Oh, and it's good for the grass too!
finally a real story, no drama. Doing a large repair after a septic field tank replacement. Would sand and potting mix work for the sprouted seed?
I just throw out the new grass seed in yard and it comes up in 7 days ! Plently of rain in Ga. Scale of 1 to 10.....11 easy !
Thanks for sharing your experience, helps out a lot. Especially for someone who’s new to lawn care.
I'd like to see someone do a controlled test for if submerging is necessary or even the fastest and best way. The reason I wonder: I submerged 8 ounces of Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra - changing the water every 12 hours. After 3 weeks I still had no signs of germination. I stopped submerging the bag and instead just kept it wet and within 18 hours I FINALLY got germination. That was really no faster than just properly prepping, applying, and spreading the traditional way. So I started another 8 ounce batch but instead of submerging I just rinsed the seed every 12 hours. In just 3 DAYS I got germination. That suggests to me the seed getting air as well as water - like what it needs and gets outside via the traditional method - was the difference between 3 weeks of waiting versus 3 days. If this is true it was way faster and easier and even more water efficient. I am going to run another batch with buckets that are white/translucent to try to add some "greenhouse" type light to the process and see how that goes.
. . . I just finished another bag of seed and got germination somewhere between 4 and 5 days. Just like my last two batches I did NOT submerge. All I did was thoroughly rinse the bag every 12 hours and kept it in two-bucket setup like shown in the vid. I am sticking with this method and the theory that the seed only needs to remain wet and well rinsed, and non-submersion means more air and faster results. I'd love to hear from anyone else who tries this with a different seed. It sure saves hours of time and gallons/buckets of water. You could even use smaller, less expensive buckets.
Did Tom Cruise ever meet your Mother............
😄 I was thinking he looks and sounds like him too
Worm tea comes from taking a cup of worm castings in a paint screening and put in to a 5 gallon bucket. Just mixing with a stick gives worm extract. To make tea add 1/4 cup molasses and pump air in for 24 to 48 hours This build’s biomes in the liquid. Use in 2 days or need to reactivate. Bunches on UTube
Make sense. This is similar to how I sprout the veggie seeds inside that I eat. I never thought to do it with grass seed, but now I know!
Holy smokes - Just pre-germinate the seed in a heap of topsoil with some starter fert. Keep a really close eye on it and as soon as ya' see it popping just fan it all out with a shovel (a large square shovel).......Just fan, fan, fan, (you may need to fan rake it) until you have an evenly distributed seeded, Scotts Starter fertilized and pre-germinated topdressing. Keep it well moistened and viola within 10 ? days you'll be giving the job its' first cut.
Your neighbors must love you that get plenty of laughs throughout the year. 😀
Would a compost spreader have worked instead of a drop spreader when the seed was wet?
Spreading the sprouted-seed probably damaged the first root (known as the 'radicle' which is the primary embryonic root) and the damage to that is usually irreversible.
@The Lawn Tools Thanks for making such a detailed well explained video, I'm trying this right now. My paint strainer bag just started to germinate at the bottom where it was wetter, now I'm going to spread it out and dry it out and then hand spread as this is my first test using this technique.
So I startd my process last Wednesday with your method with KBG. It was ready by This Thursday. Thank you !!
just put the entire 50 lb bag of tall fescue I bought into my garbage can and filled it up with water. dont' have time for all that paint strainer crap and expenses. lol. will drain it out tomorrow and put a pipe through the top so it can hang down and drain and wet it a couple times a day, wish me luck.
Thanks for sharing this tip! Curious if you think using peat moss as a carrier/binder, instead of Milorganite, would work well???
Lastly, have you tried this with Bermuda grass seed too?
I probably made the mistake with Black Beauty Dense Shade seeds. It has been 21 days, didn't see anything. One thing I probably did wrong was to submerge the seeds and replace the water every 12 hours for 21 days, which I watched from other videos. Bought another 25lb bag today and started a new trial. This time I will submerge for 24 hours and then just wet the seed every 12 hours. Will see how it goes.
Don't know what to do with the old seeds that have been submerged for 21 days... I will keep them wet for a few more days and see what happens, but do not feel good about these seeds though
You've answered so many of my questions even if I don't do the pre wetting method! Doesn't lightly covering the seed by raking help keep the seed in place from rain-watering too heavily?
Maybe do 3 tiny test batches, n•1 3 days before prepping full batch
N •2 2 days before prepping full batch
N•3 1 day before full batch.
So you have 3 days before to know when your full batch is ready
Love Kentucky bluegrass! mine stays green year round and grows excellent even in shaded spots
7 days ago I spread compost on my lawn in the Asheville NC area and overseeded it with Turf type tall fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass seeds. I’ve been watering it frequently and lightly to keep the seeds moist. Now I’m noticing 3 to 5 inch white circles on the compost. I think it is actinomycetes from the compost. Is this something I should be concerned about hurting my lawn? Should I treat it with fungicide(s)? If so which fungicides? I've just changed my watering to less run time and also the last run time of the day has been moved to earlier in the day so it won't be so wet all night. Thank you in advance for your advice.
Respect what he says. Jordan’s been slinging seed for 12 years now
He has messed something up every time lol still works tho, submerged or drip dry, change water every 12 or 24 hrs, doesnt really matter, both work, keep the water changed, keep seeds wet
Although I already just finished seeding my lawn, I feel like I owe you a beer for your info. cheers
This is probably a stupid question but are you keeping your buckets outside so the seed is getting sunlight? I've failed for two years trying to get a shady area seeded in my backyard and have decided to try this method. Appreciate the feedback!
Hey the Video was great. I am following your steps on day 5. in your video you mention getting the ground prepared. I had some work in my back yard so it was all tore up. I have rough graded and had pulverized dirt brought in. the dirt does not seem the best. I also have a 8 ft drag to level things off a bit. i feel I almost need to plow the dirt then rough grade then pulverized dirt and then level. any suggestion on breaking up the ground a bit more. its about an acre of area. located in Norther Illinois - so has clay in it - should I put some sand down would that help or am i just making a mess? let me know your thoughts!!
This was an awesome video!! I do have a question. If you let the seed dry on a tarp it won't damage/kill the germinated seed? It just seems like may injure the seed since they are fragile at that point.
Whoa there! I'm supposed to learn from your mistakes, but have you ever done it right, or is what you're telling me still a mistake?
Doh! Made the same mistake as you and changed the water but kept it soaking and it rotted had to re-watch and see what i did wrong hopefully I'll get it right this time :)
What if you want to pre germinate Bermuda seed? Is it the same process? And can you mix the germiating seed with just top soil and spread it?
Congrats! So happy for y'all!
I'm no lawnphile, but I _do_ have an enormous yard, so here's a game-changing tip that I've learned. If you have a (reasonably) small bare-spot to fill, it is much, much easier & faster to harvest/transfer sod than it is to propagate seed.
Of course, first, till the soil in the spot to prep. But for a harvest, look no farther than your driveway edge; it is very common to have grass growing over it, and you can easily shovel 3-4" strips of sod from against it. The benefit is a cleaner, tapered edge that will more easily absorb water and debris. Don't worry about using the resource up, either. It'll be back!
But watering your grass 3-4 times a day? No thanks. Aside from germination, I haven't watered grass ever. My yard (in sw PA) is lush and verdant and varied, filled with Clover, Violet, and Dandelion, and surrounded by ferns. But if it weren't, and if I were still stuck in suburbia, I'd save the resources in order to help get me out of there faster. Green is pleasant, but uniformity is an unnatural obsession.
"The mower, perchance, cuts some plants which I have never seen in flower."
-Thoreau July, 1854
Great idea! Thank you very much !
Good video thanks. I can't imagine being able to just go out and afford to casually buy that many buckets
theyre like $2 at menards
@@seemssafe2995 good to know, last time I saw them they were over $5 a piece, not sure which store though
Hmmmm, Tom Cruise explaining how to grow grass seed. Cool.
Spread it out on a tarp, very good idea, or a sheet.
Looking for opinions, timing is kicking me in the A$$ at the moment. Got seeds germinating and it just rained 2" for the first time in what seems like forever. Do I just throw it out and keep it wet? It's a new lawn area. Input greatly appreciated!
Fantastic!! Love your honesty! You’d make a great teacher or coach, if your not already, great explanation. New sub here. 😊
Question on temperature: I'm three days in and the temps are mid-40s to mid-60s. I've been keeping my seed in an unheated garage at night. Question: Should I bring the seed into my heated house at night to expedite the process? Is leaving in an unheated garage that gets down to the mid-high 40s too cold to get the process going?
Yes…wayyyyyyyy too cold. Needs to be above 72 degrees, especially bg.
How long do you water for each time?
I love this video and want to try this. Thank you for sharing Lessons Learned, that's always helpful. Can you recommending a grass seed type and brand that would work with this method? I think you mentioned the grass seed should not be coated but almost everything available at the big department store is coated with something. My lawn is mostly sunny with some shaded spots, so I am thinking Kentucky Bluegrass or a Sun & Shade mix.
when you spread out the seed. What do you put on top of it? topsoil?
Does the temperature of the water used matter when it comes to how fast your seed will germinate?
Yes. Warm water works faster than cold.
Great video. Did you put anything like topsoil on top of the seed?
Why are you having to do the Kentucky blue grass more than just one year? Are you spraying it out the next year or are you just filling in bare spots?
I did this with KBG. It soaked for 6 days and it was not enough. Took another week to germinate outside.
Ever thought of dissolving a small amount of fertilizer in the water *before* starting the soaking and dunking process?
Could this process be done for a brand new yard? Starting from bare dirt? I’m in Oklahoma, full sun, would this same seed you used be good?
I just Pregerminated some spf30 blue grass. Here's the kicker I live in south Florida
How do we sow seeds when they have germinated and are wet?
I think the advice he gave was to spread the seed on a tarp to let it dry enough to be spreadable, or to use Milorganite.
Because I’m curious, I looked up what that is. Admittedly, I suppose most or all fertilizer is basically poop, but I find it funny that this host and some other RUclipsrs promote this Milorgnaite stuff.
Why is that funny? Because it’s basically just the dried up and pelletized poop from the people of Milwaukee. 😂
From Wikipedia:
Milorganite is a brand of biosolids fertilizer produced by treating sewage sludge by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.[1] The term is a portmanteau of the term Milwaukee Organic Nitrogen. The sewer system of the District collects municipal wastewater from the Milwaukee metropolitan area. After settling, wastewater is treated with microbes to break down organic matter at the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The byproduct sewage sludge is produced. This is heat-dried with hot air in the range of 900-1,200 °F (482-649 °C), which heats the sewage sludge to at least 176 °F (80 °C) to kill pathogens. The material is then pelletized and marketed throughout the United States under the name Milorganite. The result is recycling of the nitrogen and phosphorus from the waste-stream as fertilizer. The treated wastewater is discharged to Lake Michigan.
Thank so much about information
Great video as always. Sorry if this question is attached to the wrong video, but do you have council on watering? I have a swordsman and keep my lawn ~3/4 inch. In the summer, I've tried the whole 3ish times a wk deep soak to promote root growth, but invariablely I get large dead/dorment spots as it's just not enough. How do you/golf courses do it? Do I do 3 heavy soaks, then a maintenance water daily for 5 min just to keep it from fully drying out/dorment/dying? Appreciate it!
How many acres you overseeding? 8 buckets x 6 lbs. = 48 lbs / 4 lbs per acre overseed rate = 12 acres…. That’s a big yard!
Brain fart…that’s 4lbs per 1000 sq ft which would be about an acre…sounds right..😅
I feel your pain, I did a project on my front lawn, long story short, of course it poured after a week of babying it every day. I scrambled, in the rain, placed a couple of bags of potting soil and some more seed, and it turned out great. 👍 I’m going to use your method in the back yard however with the dog, I’ll be cutting the lawn in thirds, blocking 1/3 off at a time. I have to start now so when the cold weather hits all should be good. 👍 Question, after all that, I believe that I can go ahead and overseed in the very late fall, almost snowing, so it comes up in the spring? 🤔 Any replies are appreciated 👍
Pretty sure if you just soak the seed in a 70/30 water/potassium solution for 36 hours you're good. You don't need to do the whole soak/remove/soak again process. And 36 hours is the max amount needed to hit the maximum germination rate for your seed. Any more than that and you're just wasting time. At least that's what I've found.
I liked the thumbnail so I'm here.
This is way better than my bucket video. tHanks for the tips!
MVS going down! going with the 365 myself here shortly
Question my turf is looking really good and I want to do this but I do have spots in my lawn with crabgrass. I want to do this but I wont be able to put down preemergent. Any ideas?
🥗🌱🌱🌱Hippie Mamas have been doing this for their alfalfa sprouts since the 60's which is probably where Spin got the idea ;-) USE WARM WATER!!!! Take the buckets in from the cool nights---- for salad spouts, clear jar+seed+warm sunny window sill and rinsing seed twice daily with warm water= active live food from a mini greenhouse!! If you have little Moonflower or Morning Glory seeds to start, snip the hull with toe nail clippers to get the warm water into the seed faster
Awesome video… thanks for the information
When the seed is draining, does it need to be outside in the sun during the period of it draining or can the drained seed be kept in the garage?
I worry I'm too late in the spring. I'm in El Paso TX and it's already 75/80 most days
Can you/someone go over again how long to soak after the initial soaking. Is it 24 in to soak and 24 out to drain, or drain each day and then in to soak for 24 hours, or in to soak a few minutes each day and out to drain for 24 hours - and repeat the process each day.
maybe you said it in the video but do you put soil or moss over the seed to hold the moisture and stop the seed from being washed or blown away?
3 armed thumbnail photo was awesome.